Jackson prepares to build a second bridge

Fresh off the summer completion of one-lane Hubble Ford Bridge in Jackson City Park, work on a new two-lane span replacing the city's West Mary Street low-water crossing is scheduled to start Tuesday.

Safety concerns drive the new project with city administrator Jim Roach earlier noting two vehicles have washed off the crossing in the past 20 years.

Jackson Public Works Director Kent Peetz said as little as a quarter-inch of rain can cause the municipality to block access on Mary to City Park, forcing motorists to detour.

"This is more than just a bridge project," Peetz said Friday. "We're adding a block-and-a-half of sidewalks on both sides of Mary and we're upgrading existing utilities -- both water and sewer -- while we have the area exposed."

Millersville's Putz Construction, which built the Hubble Ford Bridge, is also general contractor on the current project, assisted by Cochran Engineering.

Kent Peetz, Jackson's public works director since 2018, stands Friday on the low-water crossing on West Mary Street. A two-lane bridge will be built at the spot with anticipated substantial completion expected in February. Work is to begin Tuesday.Jeff Long

West Mary, at a $1.6 million price tag, will cost nearly three times the $550,000 Hubble Ford span, which connects Parkview Street and Cascade Drive over Hubble Creek.

"There's a great deal of earthmoving that will be necessary on West Mary," said Peetz, citing this as a partial reason for the higher cost.

Peetz said when Washington Street was closed off in 2020 to accommodate the $20 million Cape Girardeau County Courthouse project, enough traffic shifted to West Mary that the municipality now considers it a "collector" street, similar to Washington and Adams streets.

A collector street is defined is a low- to moderate-capacity roadway providing access to residential properties while moving traffic from local streets to arterial thoroughfares.

Peetz said the West Mary bridge and associated new sidewalks will be paid for out of the city's road and bridge fund.

The area in red shows the closed area for Jackson's West Mary Street Bridge and Sidewalk project, which begins Tuesday. The area in green represents the recommended detour around construction.Submitted

The project, city officials say, will require road closure from North Union Avenue to North Missouri Street with only traffic to residences within the closed area permitted.